Salt with Garlic and Herbs

If you walk down the spice aisle at your local grocery store, you’ll see an endless row of spice blends for every possible use. There’s a blend for hamburgers, steaks, or chicken; blends with salt and without salt; blends for salads; blends for southwest cooking; and on and on and on…I’m sure I have 7 or 8 versions in my pantry. If you review the ingredient list for each blend, there’s usually a good bit of repetition. Most of the blends contain salt, pepper, garlic, and onion.

A while back, Sally Schneider was a guest on The Splendid Table, NPR’s culinary, culture, and lifestyle program. She made a seasoned salt mixture which contained fresh herbs. I loved the concept of making my own spice blend and I decided to make a batch.

You can make this seasoned salt blend with any herbs that you like. As I thought about the herbs that I use most regularly, I opted for making my blend with rosemary, thyme, sage and parsley. Garlic and lemon zest rounded out the blend. Great with almost everything, this wonderful spice blend enhances the flavor of steaks, hamburgers, chicken, pork, vegetables, and eggs.

This blend takes minutes to make and only a couple of days to dry. Give it a try and kick up the flavor on all your dishes.

1. Transfer garlic and 1/2 cup of the salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until garlic is finely chopped.

2. Add herbs and lemon zest and process until the consistency of coarse sand.

3. Combine blended herbs with remaining 1/2 cup of salt and spread on a baking sheet. Leave baking sheet uncovered on the counter top and dry for 2 days. Store in an airtight container and use as needed.

I grew up in small town Mississippi eating traditional southern fare.A lifelong foodie, I started cooking and experimenting with food at a very young age. I started Southern Boy Dishes as a creative outlet and a way to share my love of food.

Tried the Brunswick stew recipe last night, wow! It was the best we have ever tasted. We like that the tremendous flavor comes primarily from the combination of ingredients and not a lot of spices or salt. Note to self: SB recipes take the best of food from the South and make it healthier.

Hello, my name is Bill and welcome to Southern Boy Dishes. My relationship with food started many years ago. I came into the world with a ravenous appetite and I remember being in the kitchen with my mother... Read more